People
VCU receives $8.8M to support employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
A Virginia Commonwealth University professor has received two major research awards totaling $8.8 million to coordinate a dozen studies across four universities that will focus on how to best provide training and employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

By Brian McNeill
A Virginia Commonwealth University professor has received two major research awards totaling $8.8 million to coordinate a dozen studies across four universities that will focus on how to best provide training and employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Paul Wehman, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Counseling and Special Education in the School of Education, received two five-year $4.4 million awards from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
“These two major research grants will provide synergy for VCU to be the predominant leader in the United States in the area of employment for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities,” said Wehman, who is also director of a VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices for Individuals with Disabilities as well as director of the VCU Autism Center for Excellence.
The first award, “Employment of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD),” involves a consortium of researchers at VCU, as well as Vanderbilt University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Kent State University, and includes six multiphase studies that will examine the effectiveness of different evidence-based interventions to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in competitive employment. The goal is to help reduce the continuing high levels of unemployment among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
One of these studies will be conducted in partnership with Dominion Energy in the Richmond area, enrolling individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities into different jobs and seeking the best strategies for recruitment, training, job placement and retention. The new center will work closely with the Dominion Energy DiverseAbility Employee Resource Group.
The second award, “Transition to Employment for Youth with Disabilities,” will also involve research at VCU, Vanderbilt, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Kent State. It will focus on pre-employment training for younger adolescents, postsecondary and supported college education training for universities that are serving students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as internships for youth with emotional, learning and behavioral disorders.
One of these studies, to be conducted at VCU, will investigate the effectiveness of an internship program called Start on Success that incorporates a career and technical education course followed by paid work experiences for high school students with psychiatric or learning disabilities. The focus of the program is to keep students at risk of dropping out to remain in school and graduate.
“We congratulate Dr. Wehman and his team for this exciting work and grant award. This research will address a critical need for our society — the employment of those with disabilities and build the diversity of our workforce,” said Peter Buckley, M.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine and the VCU Health System executive vice president for medical affairs.
Andrew Daire, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, said the school is excited about Wehman’s work and the work of the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.
“RRTC is a critically important center in the School of Education and its impact puts into practice our vision to be a leader in responsive, needs-driven and research-based educational practices that transform the lives of those we serve in our communities, especially those who have been historically marginalized,” Daire said.
Both awards are Rehabilitation Research and Training Center grants that fund coordinated, integrated and advanced programs of research, training and information dissemination in topical areas specified by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. These centers conduct research to improve rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems; improve health and functioning; and promote employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.
Wehman is the founding editor of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. His background is highly interdisciplinary and he is internationally known for his pioneering work in the beginning of supported employment in 1980, a rehabilitation intervention strategy that has helped millions of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness and spinal cord injury in countries around the world to gain competitive employment for the first time.
“Dr. Wehman is a preeminent researcher in this field who has built the foundations of supported employment more than a quarter century ago and we are excited about how he is moving the field forward,” said David Cifu, M.D., chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Business
Richmond Flying Squirrels hosting series of job fairs ahead of 2023 season
Positions are available in food & beverage, ticketing and operations for the team’s home games from April through September.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels are looking to hire part-time, game-day positions for the upcoming baseball season. The team has three upcoming job fairs for interested candidates to fill out applications and find out information about available positions.
Positions are available in food & beverage, ticketing and operations for the team’s home games from April through September. Information on the Flying Squirrels’ upcoming job fairs can be found here. The 2023 game schedule can be found here.
The job fairs will take place at The Diamond (3001 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23230) on the following dates:
- Wednesday, March 8, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Thursday, March 30, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Available positions include:
FOOD & BEVERAGE
TICKETING
OPERATIONS
Questions regarding game-day positions with the Flying Squirrels can be directed to [email protected].
The Flying Squirrels open the 2023 on Friday, April 7 against the Reading Fightin Phils. Individual-game tickets, including tickets for Opening Night, are available now online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-FUNN (3866) or in person at the Flying Squirrels ticket office.
Business
United Way launches free annual tax preparation service
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has launched itsVolunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that helps families work toward financial stability by providing free tax assistance through in-person tax sites as well as a new virtual tax assistance service.

United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg has launched itsVolunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that helps families work toward financial stability by providing free tax assistance through in-person tax sites as well as a new virtual tax assistance service.
United Way’s team of IRS-certified tax preparers and volunteers will prepare income tax returns for qualifying families and individuals with incomes of $60,000 or less at 12 tax prep sites located throughout the city of Richmond and in the counties of Goochland, Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover.
“Our VITA program has been supporting the community since 2002 and could not exist without our dedicated volunteers,” said Cara Cardotti, United Way’s Director of Tax Assistance Programs. “Each volunteer successfully navigates required IRS certification tests annually to work with the program.”
The VITA program offers multiple ways for customers to receive tax assistance. Options include scheduling an appointment, dropping off tax documents with a tax preparer, or visiting one of the first come, first serve tax locations. Virginia residents can also complete taxes online through United Way’s online tax assistance site, GetYourRefund.org/uwgrp.
Hours of operation for each tax site are subject to change and can be found on United Way’s website.
The Sacred Heart location in Richmond will offer assistance for customers who speak Spanish and Portuguese.
“While our program offers free tax preparation for people with incomes up to $60,000, the reality is that most community members served by the program earn far less per year, on average $25,380,” said Angela Otto, United Way’s Interim President and CEO. “Our volunteers not only provide free tax preparation services but also help many individuals and families claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which helps to bring even more dollars into the households who need it most.”
In 2022, VITA volunteers helped file 2,256 tax returns, recover $2.9 million in tax returns, claim $847,963 in earned income tax credit refunds and save $556,000 in tax preparation fees.
A Do-It-Yourself option is also available for individuals who make up to $73,000 with free coaching from an IRS-certified volunteer to help customers successfully file tax returns. For more information on the service, individuals can contact [email protected].
To learn more about the program and tax sites, visit United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance website.
History
StoryCorps encourages Richmonders from different backgrounds to take “One Small Step”
In these challenging times, StoryCorps’ One Small Step program is working to help mend the fraying fabric of our nation–one conversation at a time.

Today, in our divisive political landscape, some nine out of ten Americans say they’re exhausted by our political divisions and looking for a way out. In these challenging times, StoryCorps’ One Small Step program is working to help mend the fraying fabric of our nation–one conversation at a time.
The One Small Step program is working intensively in three “Anchor Communities,” including Richmond, to bring strangers with different political beliefs together–not to debate politics–but to have a conversation about their lives. In the process, the hope is that they both discover their shared humanity.
To date, over 3,000 people across more than 40 U.S. states have participated. Anyone anywhere can be matched for a conversation. Click here to learn more.
In one recent conversation, Richmonders Jerome and Warren learned they had more in common than they thought, even though they’re on different sides of the political aisle.